First tow with the 18 Expedition max w/max tow package 8500lb trailer

[byz250f]

I had the chance to do a 300 mile round trip tow with our 34ft Jayco trailer this weekend. Ambient temps were 80f. I have to say I was a little leary towing our trailer which loaded up is around 8500lbs....but it far exceeded my expecations. I was very impressed with how settled it felt on the highway with passing traffic. We were only towing at 65-70mph. I ran 87octane on the trip to the campground and got 8.3mpg. The trip back I filled up the tank (it was empty) and put 93 octane in for a comparison...believe it or not I got 8.3mpg again. It felt like it had a tiny bit more pep but overall on flat ground with no wind it could stay in 9th...but most the time it stayed in 8th gear at around 2200rpms. I have a 19 Raptor also and have towed this same trailer with it. The raptor has more noticeable power...got 8.2mpg one trip and 8.7mpg on another trip. But the Expedition felt much more stable then the raptor. The raptor shifted less which was a little nicer.

Trans temps on the raptor towing 205-208 range
Trans temps on the Expy towing was 214-217 range...I did get up to 220 for a brief second with a decent climb and then into some city drivng.

For anyone curious of how it tows...it does very well. I used a Equalizer 4 point sway WDH setup.

 

[Shutterbug57]

What was your tongue weight and did you have to do much load management to get the tongue weight below the TWR and keep sway down?

 

[osteodoc08]

Sounds like it handled the weight well. The motor is definitely up to the task. It’s the brakes and platform that is always questionable and it sounds like the engineers have developed an excellent platform.

While not the same weight or size, my MAX tows my 6000# boat with ease. Better than my 2016 F150 with 5.0L.

 

[1GR8DA]

Just got back from a 1500+ mile trip through the mountains of Pennsylvania, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Our TT is 6500#. The expy towed great regardless of incline or decline. The only questionable time was crossing New York on I90 in high winds. Had to keep it below 60 but so did most tractor trailers on that day.

 

[byz250f]

What was your tongue weight and did you have to do much load management to get the tongue weight below the TWR and keep sway down?

unloaded tonque weight in trailer is 739lbs...but I was probably near 850 range with all the junk in front of the trailer. I just hooked up my Equalizer hitch with 7 washers (same as raptor) and it was good to go. Sway was not an issue at all.

 

[Zig10]

I towed my 7800 lb boat around 220 miles this weekend and found the engine/transmission to be a great combo, but the suspension and brakes are not quite as strong as my '16 Yukon XL was. The gas mileage was right around 8.4, which is a bit worse than the 9.5 I used to get in the Yukon. I'm going to try running premium next time to see if it makes a difference.

On the plus side, the temps were in the 90s the whole weekend, and the cooling system was perfectly steady.

Overall, I'm happy with it.

 

[RhinoQuartz]

I towed my 7800 lb boat around 220 miles this weekend and found the engine/transmission to be a great combo, but the suspension and brakes are not quite as strong as my '16 Yukon XL was. The gas mileage was right around 8.4, which is a bit worse than the 9.5 I used to get in the Yukon. I'm going to try running premium next time to see if it makes a difference.

On the plus side, the temps were in the 90s the whole weekend, and the cooling system was perfectly steady.

Overall, I'm happy with it.

Generally speaking, Ford recommends running premium fuel under severe operating conditions, such as hot weather and towing.

 

[Randymac]

I am curious as to what suspension is on the rear? I have a 17 Limited with what are supposed to be load leveling shocks...and they dont level anything. Plenty of power but need to get the rear end up, even with weight distribution hitch

 

[Deadman]

Theres no load leveling on the 4th Gen....

 

[Zig10]

Yeah, and that sucks, by the way. I put a set of sumo spring helpers on mine and it definitely helped, but I seriously wish someone would put out an airbag kit for this vehicle pronto.